


As You Like It

by sublimeWaves



Series: 25 EXO Challenges [11]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Bastardizing Shakespeare, F/M, Gen, Knights - Freeform, Love Pentagons?, Love Quadrilaterals, Love Triangles, M/M, Middle Ages, Requited Love, Unrequited Love, Unresolved Sexual Tension, kingdom au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-27
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-20 04:54:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9476594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sublimeWaves/pseuds/sublimeWaves
Summary: The King's most trusted general has usurped the throne and Baekhyun has just become the new prince.A loose interpretation of Shakespeare's As You Like It.





	1. Act I

**Author's Note:**

> A loose interpretation of As You Like It by Shakespeare with EXO as the cast in a Kingdom AU.  
> Emotion: Pained  
> Word: Flower  
> Theme: Gender Confusion

**Scene I**

**The West Tower**

“All hail the King!  Hail!  Hail!”

“Usurper!  Usurper!”

The crowd in the castle courtyard and even further beyond the gates is packed so tightly from the view of Baekhyun’s window that he can’t see which side is which.  The latter’s cries are louder, so he assumes they are the ones closer to him.  Then again, they are the ones that are much more numerous.  He’s alone but he can feel that this is not truly as there are two guards placed at the doors to his new chambers.

There has been a pressing on his chest since his father’s coronation earlier today.  If he was being honest, he has been feeling heavy since the King was declared dead two days ago and his father took the throne, bypassing the rightful heir. 

Baekhyun’s father is a strict war general who never took time to spend at home.  Baekhyun barely knows him apart from his conquests and expectations.  The previous King spoke fondly of him, or at least his achievements.  Every word spoken would then be accompanied by whispers of the atrocities that those achievements stand on.

He was the Kingdom’s most trusted general, but on the day of his death has seized power through smoked filled curtains.  Someone like Baekhyun who is related to him and close to all things political at court could not tell you all of the trickery that has occurred over the past two days.

Baekhyun had grown up with the King’s son and was raised to acknowledge him at the heir and twenty-three years of teachings were not going to collapse under the change that has undergone the kingdom these last two tremulous days.  Vaguely, he hears his attendant yelling at him.  He wants to pay no attention but something in him is frightened of the consequences.

“I will not have you just staring out the window.  You are now a prince and you will stop acting melancholy this instant!  Your father’s coronation party is in half an hour and you have wasted my time and everyone else’s by not getting ready.  Do you know how important this event is, selfish boy?  If I were you I would enjoy this party.  As soon as it is over you will get acquainted with these walls for a very long time.” 

Baekhyun stands up silently.  He feels sluggish as he lets the maids dress him.  He never wanted to be a prince, certainly not a king.  He was supposed to grow up as the prince’s best friend and one day his advisor.  Now he is a prince and his best friend lies in a guarded tower as a prisoner.

 

 

**Scene II**

**The Garden**

All he can think about is Kyungsoo as he descends the steps into the party.  The people coo as he is introduced to the court.  The same people whom he has grown up with and had accepted Kyungsoo as their prince.  How dare they stand in front of him and be okay with these current events? 

Yet, here he is being no different.

Kyungsoo would know what to do, he was ready to be King.  The room is too bright and too many people crowd him.  Their smiles sicken him as he is passed from noble to noble.  The only assurance he gets in some form is from some whose smiles are obviously strained.

There are others, though.  In low voices they talk of dissent or the true and noble Prince.  Luckily, they are the top of the food chain in this court.  Baekhyun smiles and hopes that no one over hears.

He spends time with the Lord of the most influential region in the Kingdom whom has just recently undergone a change of power.  Minseok had grown up with Baekhyun and Kyungsoo as a noble and visited often.  His father had died within the last year and has taken the throne.  He is the only one who voices that mourning in Kingdoms should talk at least three days.

Voice small and soft, not unusual for Minseok if Baekhyun is frank, a place of refuge is given to the new prince if he chooses it.  An army with other lords is not explicitly stated but Baekhyun has played the game of the court and understands perfectly.  He hugs his friend in gratitude.

After hours of small talk, Baekhyun is finally able to get some fresh air outside, wandering through the gardens away from the castle.  Calculated, he looks around trying to seem lost to make sure he was alone before moving towards his destinations.  Footsteps on the gravel behind him tell him that he is not.

“Prince Baekhyun!”  Just what Baekhyun does not want.  He turns to find a tall knight in full gear except for the headpiece.  Chanyeol is a noble who is part of the King’s Guard so not because he is right for the job or anything just nepotism.  They have been friends for years long with Kyungsoo when Chanyeol first came to the castle to train at a young age.  With so little people their age on the castle grounds, they were bound to become friends sooner or later. 

Baekhyun turns around with a strained smile and mock surprise. “Oh! It is only you!”.

Knowing Baekhyun so long has Chanyeol already seeing right through him.  “My Prince?”

“Do not call me that!”

“Well if it hurts you, I must.”  The knight laughs at the steaming man in front of him.  He wants to revel in this feeling more, but there are more serious matters to discuss. “What will become of Kyungsoo?  I have searched but your father keeps me by his side.  Does your father plan to execute him?”

“You spend more time with my father than I,” Baekhyun accuses.  His arms are crossed in front of his chest.  If Chanyeol is going to delay him, he might as well give him information.  The buffoon could not even do that correctly.  Worry makes him sigh.  “I do believe so.”

Fire sparks in Chanyeol’s eyes.  “Then I must go now!  My cousin who is a knight pledged to Lord Minseok has come tonight.  If I can recruit him then he can be saved.”

That is the last thing Baekhyun needs, more variables and Chanyeol.  He tries to play on Chanyeol’s logical side, as small as it may be.  “If we are caught then Kyungsoo dies.”

“We?”  The knight scoffs.  “Who is asking you?  You are too much of a risk, _my prince_.”

Baekhyun grits his teeth.  Under no circumstances would Baekhyun let Chanyeol have Kyungsoo by himself.  “I refuse to leave him.  If you are doing a rescue mission, I must be by his side.”

“I cannot see why you are needed.”  Baekhyun remembers how Chanyeol would always bound up to Kyungsoo, smile plastered on his face and would try so hard to grab his attention.  The same attention that Baekhyun did not have to work so hard for.  Baekhyun always pitied him.

In the distance another guard calls.

“Is it not time for you to return to your post.  Would it not be so prudent of you to perform the duties that you have been pledged to do?”  Chanyeol glares at Baekhyun walks away.  “I imagine that I will just have to save our Prince in your stead.”

 

 

**Scene III**

**The East Corridor**

Chanyeol being called away could not make Baekhyun happier.  With the lack of guards at the East Tower due to the party, it was his chance to sneak in through the garden.  Years of childhood curiosity has him going through a back door straight to the door that he knows leads to Kyungsoo. 

Only one guard stands there.  The knight must be new as Baekhyun does not recognize him and his father has instated so many new ones recently, primarily from Baekhyun’s house.  This knight is strange, not donning any of his house’s symbols or of the one he protects.

A new knight may not know of Baekhyun’s tricks.  The thought brings a smile his lips.  This one only has light armor on, which Baekhyun likes as it shows off his figure.  It would be perfect if not for that pesky helmet getting in the way.  Baekhyun is dressed in multiple layers despite the heat and undoes the top bottoms of each.  With a deep breath he smiles and walks with a sway to the knight.

“State your purpose.”  His voice was quite lovely even when being threatening.  Baekhyun always like to be ordered around.

He collapses next to the door into the wall and the knight turns to look at him.  Hoping to not sound like he is faking being drunk, he gestures widely.  “I was just at this lovely party when I needed a bit of air and perhaps my glass to be full again.”

“This is not the place to do that.” 

“So commanding,” Baekhyun says dreamily.  He gives one of those killer smirks that he knows that has caught one or two nobles in his lifetime.  Quickly, he gets off the wall and plays up being a lost puppy.  “I seem to have found myself turned around.”

“There is only one door.”

 _That he knows of,_ Baekhyun thinks.  A feeling of frustration bubbles in him.  He seems to be making no progress on this knight.  It may be time to reveal himself a bit more. He grabs onto the arm of the knight.

“I cannot trust myself to remember the way, will you accompany me?”  Baekhyun bats his lashes as he looks up to the knight.

“You have made your way here therefore you can make your way back.”

“I could not manage it.”  Maybe this knight does not like the innocent look.  Even better, Baekhyun has never liked that role anyways.  “I guess I shall celebrate here, wherever this is.”

“This is not somewhere to party.”

Baekhyun might be imagining the small rise in the knight’s voice in amusement but it does boost his ego.  “There is no place in the Kingdom where there could not be celebration!  We must all hail in the King’s reign!”  He brings his fingers to dance along the metal chest plate.  The knight sounds young and Baekhyun can work with that.  “Anyways, I think I like the view here better.”

The knight starts to laugh as he pushes Baekhyun gently away.  The noble is so in shock that he lets himself be manhandled.  He has never been turned down.  “A knight chaser?”  The knight asks lightly.

Hand on his chest, Baekhyun takes a step back, aghast.  “Do you take me for a whore?” 

“Do you not throw yourself at me?”  The incredulous statement is accompanied by what Baekhyun almost see as a smug look under that helmet.  “Is this what gets the others riled up?  A shameless flirt?” 

“You take me for being something that I am not.”  Baekhyun says as he steps away and contorts his face into something resembling a cute kicked small animal, trying a different tactic all together, a last ditch effort.

The knight makes a disinterested clicking noise with his tongue.  “I was never one to understand those who fell for those innocent, pure acts.”

Face fallen, Baekhyun drops the act.  Frustrated, he says, “I can see you are not taken with me.”

“It was a good try.”  The knight says as a small source in comfort, but it is shallow and holds no weight with the noble.  Trying to keep the upper hand, Baekhyun summons some confidence and smirks up at the knight.

“An initiation for the new knight.”

If the noble could see through the grate he would have seen the knight roll his eyes in exasperation.  “At least your bold and honest.”

The line gives Baekhyun a bit of his lost spark back, but the frustration still threatens to bleed though.  “I am happy to be a source of inspiration.”

“I did not say that I enjoyed it.  Now, move along.”

They stand in silence as Baekhyun refuses to move.

“The party is that way,” the knight says, annoyance tipping into his steady voice.  When the man in front of him does not even move or break eye contact, he raises his arm to point towards the door.  “Your fun and games have concluded and there is no further use for you to be here.”

“No,” Baekhyun says.  He came here for a reason and this knight was not going to get in the way.

Something seems to go off in the knight’s head.  He looks down at Baekhyun.  Through the grates, the knight’s eyes are visible.  If this were any other time, or even just seconds earlier, he would take the time and properly lose himself in them.  However, this was not the time.  Eyes snapping shut and sighing, the knight seems to crumple over a bit.  “You wish to speak with the prisoner.”

“He is not a prisoner!”  Baekhyun exclaims a bit too loudly which takes the knight back a bit.  Realizing his mistake immediately, he remembers to channel Kyungsoo a bit and compose himself.  “I must speak to the prisoner.”

“Are you the prisoner’s lover?”  Something jumps in Baekhyun’s heart.  A tinge of disappointment.  He thinks of Chanyeol and then of his and Kyungsoo’s relationship.  Baekhyun, not Chanyeol, was the closest person to Kyungsoo.  The hours that Kyungsoo spent with him, confiding in him.

“I might as well be,” Baekhyun says earnestly, looking into the knight’s eyes.  A second passes.

The knight puts his hands up as he steps away from the door and Baekhyun.  “Well then, I secede.”  Baekhyun stands in shock as the knight goes to the door leading towards the main ball room.  He thought knights, other than Chanyeol, were supposed to have some sense.  “I have tried to escort a drunk man to the party and have lost him.  It is now my duty to inform at least six of my kinsman so it will at least take half an hour.  Now, excuse me, I have duties to attend to.”

The knight observes Baekhyun opening the door to Kyungsoo’s room.  Before going in, he gives the biggest sincerest smile he can muster towards the knight.  This knight, as stupid as he is right now, has just helped this kingdom and Baekhyun’s spirits.  “Thank you.”

 

 

**Scene IV**

**The East Tower**

The east tower is cold at night.  When Kyungsoo was young he would wonder why the east tower was always vacant when they had a multitude of guests and servants and space was precious.  Now he understood.

Being prisoner has angered Kyungsoo in a way that he was unused to.  He was always a bit hot headed, but that was towards someone making an unjust rule or one of his two best friends speaking like brutes.  His kingdom was in turmoil with the death of his father and he needed to break free and regain control.

The newly crowned King had visited him right before the party and had smiled and walked through a list of rules he was going to implement, now that he was King.  Kyungsoo could see no other reason to do this other than to watch him squirm and worry for his people.  He knows that most of the Lords will be opposed to this and this is the only comfort that he has for the moment.

He stares out the window which has had the exterior blocked to make him lose his mind quicker.  Every thought in his head is clouded by a thick layer of frustration.  He needs to leave and he needs to leave now.  The noise startles the short man and he turns around quickly, large eyes widening.  A familiar form comes through the door.  “Baekhyun!”

The new prince sneaks through the door and Kyungsoo could not be happier at the moment.  For as much as he likes to tease Baekhyun, his favorite amusement if he was to pick one, the young man is his most trusted confidant.  Baekhyun rushes over to Kyungsoo, dressed for the party that could be heard in the background.  “Are you well?”

The Prince tries not to glare at his best friend.  The room might be nicely decorated but it is no secret that he was in a cell.   “I am a prisoner.”

“But are you fed?  Are you clean?  Have you been treated well?”  The questions come faster than Kyungsoo can say.  His mouth is dry by the small amount of water and food that he has been given.  Baekhyun’s arms have grasped his forearms so that he can inspect them for bruises.

It was an odd feeling for Baekhyun to be taking care of him like this.  Chanyeol was always the sensitive friend.  Annoying, but always knew when to take a step back and show that he cars.  Baekhyun was usually jolly and enjoyed being frivolous in his actions no matter how serious the situation was.  Everything was light and humorous with him around.  The touching was not unusual either. Baekhyun, and Chanyeol if he was being honest, followed him around attached to him like starfishes.

He was never sure why Baekhyun did but since Chanyeol has been getting bolder with his affections, it has been awkward with the tall knight around.  Quickly, Kyungsoo rids himself of these thoughts.  There are more important things to worry about.

The care in Baekhyun’s eyes and tone was soft and laced with anxiety.  Hands were wrapped around his and were gripping hard but not painfully.  It makes Kyungsoo realize that in all the years that he has known Baekhyun, he has never seen him truly worry.  “Barely.”

A quick tug is all it takes to make the smaller man stand up.  “We need you leave before they execute you.”

The phrase snaps Kyungsoo into action, taking a small satchel and picking his most precious belongings.  He tries to make a plan in his head about who he could trust.  “I will need to get some extra provisions and then head out on the next ship that will take me.”

“We will make our way to Minseok’s castle.”

Putting his final belonging, his father’s ring, in his satchel, Kyungsoo exits the room with Baekhyun as they hurry to get to Baekhyun’s quarters.  “Has Minseok offered us a haven?”

Cautiously, the two make their way through back corridors to Baekhyun’s quarters.  The task is not so hard for two princes who grew up within the walls.  In hushed whispers, Baekhyun tells him of his words with Minseok and how they will just need to wait for him to finish the formal proceedings here, which may take a few days, and return home.  All they needed to do was go to his land and wait for him.

As soon as Baekhyun reaches for his own satchel, Kyungsoo pulls him back from his belongings.  “You must stay here.”

Turning around quickly, Baekhyun stands firm.  “I will not leave you.”

Kyungsoo puts on a grave look and speaks lowly.  “You are now the prince.  You must make peace.  You must look after these people.”

“I possess no power.  My father will lock me up in my room,” Baekhyun tries to explain desperately.  “I am dead here.”

A moment of silence.  “Then we leave.”


	2. Act II

**Scene I**

**Sir Chanyeol’s Quarters**

As soon as the party is over, Chanyeol barrels into his room in distraught.  It was a small room for such a tall man but it was the standard size for a knight.  He falls onto the bed, the only piece of furniture almost barren room.  Knights are supposed to have honor, not possessions, or at least that is what they always told Chanyeol.  He thinks that having a better bed would not be so bad.

The party had taken forever to close and the new king had kept Chanyeol by his side for the entire night.  He went to check on Kyungsoo’s quarters as soon as he could only to find it empty.  A fellow knight had been watching the door but no one will admit fault.  A quick look found the new prince to be gone as well.

How could he let this happen?  That tricky Byun Baekhyun has always been getting in his way!  Every time he had chosen the shift that would protect Kyungsoo, every time he had spent time with him during the few breaks that he had, and every time he had given Kyungsoo a gift, Baekhyun had been there.

He was such a fool.

Jongdae finds him lying face down in his bed, being overly dramatic.  As soon as he comes into the room he is forced to listen to his woes.  His instructions were to leave later tonight in pursuit of the Prince and Baekhyun to follow them to his Lord’s castle.  He only had to wait just a bit longer through Chanyeol’s tear until he was free.  “My cousin, my love has flown with one who will lead to his ruin.  A fool has taken my love and now they will die.”

Sighing, Jongdae sits on the very small part of the bed that is not taken up by his giant cousin.  He tries to take off his sabatons as Chanyeol lies in distress.  If Baekhyun has run away with the Prince and not been caught, then he cannot be that much of a fool.  “Or not.”

“Or will!”  Chanyeol exclaims as he rises quickly from his bed.  He is still in full armor and it clinks as he tries to sit normally.  “It is almost guaranteed.  I must go, I must save him!”

Jongdae rolls his eyes.  For as much as Chanyeol says he loves the Prince, he took an abundant amount of time to reach this conclusion.  Thankfully the safety of the Prince did not lie solely in his hands.  “You say this now?  They were to kill him before; we could have gone sooner.”

“They were not to kill him before.”

“Of course they were!”  Jongdae exclaims.  Sighing, he tries to slouch as much as he can in his armor.  His cousin could be dense sometimes.  In a moment of pity, he tells Chanyeol of his plan.  Jongdae could not know of it now, but it would end up being an annoying mistake.  “They have absconded my Lord’s castle.”

Slowly, Chanyeol turns to him in a mixture of outrage and confusion.  “And you have kept this concealed from me?”

“I have come to this party with my Lord with instructions.  He commanded me to ensure that the Prince could leave peacefully.  I am to follow them to assure their safety until these farces of a celebration have concluded and my Lord returns home,” Jongdae explains calmly.

Jongdae waits in silence as his cousin breathes through his nose until he has become more placid.  “Then you have met the whore,” he says vehemently.

“I’d call him more of a charmer than a whore.”  Having grown up with Chanyeol’s stories he assumed that Baekhyun was a wild child.  Upon seeing him interact with Lord Minseok over the years solidified this image.  Which is why he was taken aback when his Lord had said that Baekhyun was clever when Jongdae was given this assignment.  He was pleasantly surprised at the new prince.  “A charmer whom has full trust of the Prince.”

“Unfortunately,” Chanyeol says as he gets up to pack some supplies.  “I have good men here who will look after this place in the name of the true Prince until I return.”

Exhausted from the night’s events, Jongdae looks to his sabatons before grabbing them and putting them back on.

 

**Scene II**

**Outside of the Siren’s Song Tavern**

Kyungsoo time on the boat to Minseok’s lands was severely uncomfortable. He loathes his disguise, but it is what Baekhyun has grabbed and he cannot deny its effectiveness.  The need to be completely unrecognizable was vital for his escape and when Baekhyun had suggested being women, he had to agree.  It was not something he wanted to do but now not even his long time servants would be able to recognize him under this wig.

It was just that he did not realize how horrible he would feel with this disguise on.  It was the middle of autumn and he was feeling the residual heat of summer under his long wavy black wig.  He was dressed in a black travelling gown that went to his feet, restricting his movements.  He had used a knife to cut the bottom of the dress shorter, cursing his small stature as Baekhyun had laughed.  Knowing his best friend, he probably planned this just so he could laugh at the Prince.

All of the passengers on the boat talked about an inn that Baekhyun and him could stay at that was next to the castle and quite popular with the local court at times.  This is where they would head when they landed and then could wait for Minseok to hopefully return soon.

This would be easier than going to the castle straight away and exposing themselves too early.  Rumors has spread that the new king had spies among the castle guards and they could not risk being captured.  Kyungsoo knew that Minseok’s most trusted knight, Sir Jongdae, would accept them but he must have gone to the party and would not be here.  Baekhyun had not even wanted to risk this, never truly trusting knights or learning their names other than Chanyeol’s because he was forced to.

When talking to the passengers, it was obvious that the lot of them were quite taken with the two best friends as they talked.  Kyungsoo always had confidence, even when wearing this hideous disguise, and paired with his large eyes and rosy cheeks he was could be described as beautiful.

Compared to Baekhyun, he was almost nothing.  His best friend with long flowing blonde hair and a body gown led to him being nothing less than elegant and fair.  A ruse to his mischievous, sexual, fiery personality.  He had green feathers in his hair that captured that spark of fun that Kyungsoo wished he had and his best friend oozed.

The saloon laid on the outside of the castle walls and overlooked the water.  Looking at the building, Kyungsoo would not have guessed that it was a gathering spot for locals and visitors.  It was also a place to drink and watch people dress in various stages of undress.  It was very popular with his knights when he used to come visit the castle.

The inside of the inn has a large open space with a bar, many tables, and a couple of platforms for people to dance on when it became dusk.  The inn was very crowded for being the middle of the night.  They go to the bar to be greeted by a young bartender with long chestnut hair.  His smile is comforting and not what you would expect at such an establishment.  He reaches under the bar to grab a notebook and a writing utensil.  “Welcome to my inn!  Would you two be requiring rooms?”

“Three days,” Baekhyun says, turning to Kyungsoo who confirms the decision with a slight nod.  Surely Minseok will be back by that time.

The man claps his hand in happiness.  “Wonderful!  We have many entertainments for you two lovely women.”

Kyungsoo goes to put a stop to whatever ‘entertainments’ entail.  “We do not need men warming our bed,” Kyungsoo interrupts.

Not even flinching, the man giggles.  “We have women, too.”

As Baekhyun seems to want to intervene, Kyungsoo puts a hand in front of him.  “You have no need to go to the trouble.”

“There really is no trouble for me.”

“We do not need you, either!”  Kyungsoo exclaims in frustration.  The passive bartended truly laughs at this statement.

“I appreciate the interest but I am not for sale.”  The man goes to get the keys to their rooms and notes the room in the notebook.  “Your room is 124.  May I have names?”

Kyungsoo stares at Baekhyun.  He did not think this through.  Baekhyun seems to have and answers easily.  “Iphis and Hyacinth.”

“I am Yixing.  Please join us for dinner at sundown.”

 

**Scene III**

**Room 124 of the Siren’s Song Tavern**

Kyungsoo sat on the edge of the one bed room in dismay.  It could not get out that he was visiting such a scandalous place.  His supposed best friend is sorting through their belongings on the other side of the room.  “I wish to leave.”

Sighing, Baekhyun gets up to face Kyungsoo.  His best friend was always a bit squeamish when it came to anything resembling sex.  “We just need to lie low.”

As Baekhyun goes to sit on the couch, the Prince sneers at him.  “This is paradise to you.  What could I expect from someone with so little dignity.”

“Have some fun!”  Baekhyun exclaims and smirks at a disgusted Kyungsoo.  He laughs.  “People from all over come to you unguarded and yet you do nothing.  When your true love comes what if they wish for someone with experience.”

Taken aback, Kyungsoo turns his face away in embarrassment.  Baekhyun was such a _free_ individual, something he could never truly commit to.  “It means more to me.”

There is no movement for a second before the Prince breaks and he turns to look at Baekhyun.  His features have gone soft, just like when Baekhyun had come to get him.  Baekhyun then said softly, “You do not have to do anything you do not wish.”

Lost in thought about Baekhyun’s strange behavior recently, Kyungsoo does not even notice the other standing and offering him a hand up.  Smiling, Baekhyun lifts him up so that they can go to dinner.

 

**Scene IV**

**The Bar of the Siren’s Song Tavern**

By midday the next day, Baekhyun has just woken up and is still bathing himself.  The much earlier riser, Kyungsoo, gets tired of waiting around goes to the open space downstairs.  There are not many people around as it is still a bit early.  It is a bit too early to drink, but he would not mind one considering he may be caught and killed anytime.

Yixing sits at the head of the bar.  The man he is talking to is one of the most handsome men he has ever seen with dark hair and dark eyes and it does not help that he does not have a shirt on to show off his very nice body.  His pants balloon out like a parachute a bit and hang low on his hips. 

As garish as Baekhyun is, Kyungsoo has unfortunately has picked up some of his habits and tricks.  One such being how to not be caught admiring nice bodies.

Walking up to the bar, the Prince wonders if Yixing has any other facial expressions than welcome smile.  “Do you wish for a drink?”

“Who is this?”  The man asks.  Or it could be a boy as Kyungsoo gets closer to him.  He could not be much younger than the Prince himself.  The look as he gives Kyungsoo a full eye inspection would indicate a man.  Kyungsoo is sure that he has never felt more exposed in that moment.  For a minute he thinks the man can see through his costume.  “If he is new I would like to be the one who trains him.”

“Hyacinth is a customer,” the innkeeper explains to the man before turning to the other.  “How strong would you like your drink.”

Not sure what he was getting into now that the bartender did not even ask for what type of drink he would like, he decides to just go with it.  “Very Strong.”

Yixing turns away with a nod.  The man studies him before speaking. Being up close to the man, Kyungsoo can spell the alcohol coming off of his body.  “It is barely midday, a little early to drink away your sorrows.”

“Travelling on a boat is sorrow.”  Kyungsoo says as Yixing comes back with something in a small glass and also a dark ale.  He shoots the glass of the most horrendous liquid he has ever tasted like a champion before tasting his ale.  It is just as horrible and Kyungsoo could not have asked for better.  “I could say the same about you.”

Upon hearing his, the man looks a bit dejected as he slumps a bit against the bar.  “I wish my problems were as simple as yours.”

Kyungsoo is forced to drink his beer before he laughs and blows his cover.  He is barely keeping up sounding like a girl when talking, his laugh is not pretty and is very unladylike.  The man takes up the ale given to him and takes a long drink.  For the first time, Yixing’s face changes into something more along the lines of sympathy as he tries to pat the man’s back.  He turns to Kyungsoo.  “My dear dancer has troubles of the heart.  Is that not right, Jongin?”

The Prince is no stranger to giving love advice.  Everyone around him seems to have caught the plague and he seems to be the only one who is level headed enough to think things through critically.  He remembers a scullery maid who was in love with the baker’s son and would cry over it.  Practical as ever, he made it so the woman was forced to tell the baker’s son ‘I like you’.  They lived happily ever after until Kyungsoo’s father died and now all of the people were in trouble.

In some need of a distraction, Kyungsoo lends an ear as he takes a drink.  “What are your troubles?”

“My father has arranged for me to marry,” The dancer says as he looks into his glass.  He tries to swirl the drink around before drinking more.  “This day was inevitable but it still blindsided me.”

“Are you in love with someone else or do you not like them?”  The Prince asks.  That was the case for one of his footman.  The man ended up running away with his lover.

Jongin shakes his head.  His hair swishes with him and Kyungsoo is kind of memorized by it.  “It is my best friend who works at the castle.”

“Is he nice to look at?”

“A lovely man,” Yixing adds as he listens in, “for a knight.”

Scrunching his nose, the Prince finishes his drink and the bartender takes it.  “There seems to be no issue here.”

The dancer finishes his drink and scowls.  “He clings like a starfish and never let’s go.  Always I find him wherever I go.  He tells me it is for my own safety, but I do not every feel unsafe.”

“How?”

“He follows me to work and will threaten my clients even when all I do is dance,” Jongin says as Yixing comes back with two new drinks.  The dancer rolls his head, a bit intoxicated.  He looks tired.  “He just needs to trust me.”

A knight who does not trust his new fiancé to dance at an inn that offers men and women amusement.  It was a strange predicament.  “Have you spoken your feelings to him?”

The scowl deepens.  “He listens to nothing.”

“He must not feel you hold affection towards him,” the Prince says.  The dancer looks to him.

“Do you mean he needs reassurance?”  Jongin looks baffled.

“I believe so,” Kyungsoo says.  He thinks to Chanyeol who does not look that sensitive but actually needs a reminder of his friendship with the Prince.  “One of my close friends needs reminders or else he sulks for days on end.”

Jongin puts his head on top of his hands on the bar as if he wants to take a nap.  “Tell me about him,” he says lazily.

The Prince does not have to think too hard.  “He is an annoying tall fool, but earnest and stubborn.”  He thinks to all of the times Chanyeol has done everything except tell the Prince that he likes him.  “Traits that will kill him one day.  Traits will make me kill him one day.”

“You must hold him dear to your heart,” the dancer says.  It is at this point that Kyungsoo realizes his movements are more sluggish.  These drinks must be stronger than he thought.  “How do you console one so wild?”

“Tell them you understand their feelings even when you have no clue how someone could be so dumb,” Kyungsoo says easily.  Jongin laughs loudly.  “It makes them feel good.”

“A true manipulator!”  Forgetting his drink, Jongin turns to him.  “You sound so romantic.”

“I can assure you that I am not.”

“Kind then,” Jongin says as he lays his head on the table.  The motion is carried out in a way that makes sure eye contact is maintained the whole time.  Kyungsoo wonders if he can figure out about the disguise.  “You have come to my need even though I am a stranger.”

“A fluke, I assure you,” Kyungsoo says flippantly, waving his hand.  At that moment he hears a sound and turns around.  Baekhyun is talking to Yixing next to him, obviously just arriving from their room.  Of course, Baekhyun could not leave him alone for a couple of minutes.  Jongin gets up unexpectedly from his seat.

“I should rest before work,” he says as he passes by Kyungsoo, putting a hand on his shoulder.  “I will see you later.”

The Prince watches the dancer take his leave and sighs as he turns to talk to his best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I choose Hyacinth and Iphis as a nod to Ganymede.  
> I hope you like it so far!


	3. Act III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shakespeare’s As You Like It is actually a comedy so I wanted to put something a bit fun in.

**SCENE I**

**The Lounge of the Siren’s Song Tavern**

Time moves slowly for Kyungsoo in this new land.  Night has fallen but he feels like he has been living at the inn for eons.  The pace is languid and nothing new truly happens when the sun is out.  After today’s drink, he has gone to take a small nap and then spent some time with Baekhyun for a couple minutes.  It was now after dinner and he was bored enough to get another drink.

On the way to the ground floor he finds a piece of paper in the stairwell that has a couple of words on it.  He gets closer to take a look.

_If you’re gonna say then, just go away_

_If I need to, I’ll change myself_

Kyungsoo stares at the note in fascination.  Was it a puzzle?  It seemed more like a poem.  Such strange language this note held.

He thinks of the message as he sits near the water in the lounge it is a bit peaceful as the drinking crowd have not gotten loud yet.  There seems to be some dancers walking around that do not care to hide anything of their bodies.  He turns away.

After some time, he realizes another note attached to the side of a table not so far from him.  Mystery and boredom has him snatching it up.

_But we are two worlds apart_

_Can’t reach to your heart_

He sits as he tries to understand this note.  This one was about love, he was sure but why were they here?  He looks around to see another one not far off on another table inhabited by what looked like a couple of locals.

_Tell me why_

_Ain’t nothin’ but a mistake_

This confused state is how Jongin finds him, taking the seat next to him in the same outfit Kyungsoo say him earlier in.

“Are you having fun with the poems?”  The dancer smiles at him.  The Prince turns to him with wide eyes.

“Is that what they are?”  Kyungsoo questions.  Before Jongin can answer he is asking another question, “Where do they come from?”

The man laughs.  It is a very beautiful laugh and Kyungsoo likes how his eyes shine.  “Two men came in earlier and one of them is very much in love.  He has written many of these and is posting them in hidden places all over the inn. See?”

From his pants, which does not have pockets so Kyungsoo does not know where specifically, the dancer produces another note.

_No matter the distance_

_I want you to know_

_That deep down inside of me…_

_You are, my fire_

A small giggle comes out of Kyungsoo and he tries to hide it in order to not be discovered but Jongin takes his hand and tries to lower it.  “Do not be afraid.  It was cute.  But I do not know why you are laughing?”

“This writer is making it harder for themselves,” Kyungsoo tries to explain.

“How?  I thought it was romantic.”

“It seems so inauthentic,” The Prince says.  “These words are shallow, not deep.  They sound as if they are not from the heart.”

“I think you are just too deep,” the dancer says as he smirks.  He waves his hand.  “What are you to expect from a knight?”

“What?”

“The writer is a knight.”  Kyungsoo jumps up quickly, forgetting his manners.  Have the new king’s guards come for him?  “Is something wrong?”

“I must take my leave, excuse me.”  Before he leaves, Jongin hands him two more notes.

“For you.”  He says, a bit red in the face.  No time to dwell, the Prince takes them and rushes up to his room to hide.  Baekhyun is not there and said he was going to take a bath, but he does not want to risk going out again.  He should be safe in the bath.  He sits on the bed in worry, hoping they do not find his best friend.

He reads the notes and frowns at them.

_Now would you die for the one you love?_

_Hold me in your arms, tonight._

The Prince cannot help but to think that this knight is being a bit too overdramatic.  Would he truly die for his lover?  It just sounded ridiculous to him.

_I can kiss away the pain._

_I will stand by you forever._

_You can take my breath away._

If he was being truthful, Kyungsoo would say they sound like the songs that Chanyeol used to sing him.  The knight would sing these horrid songs about love which always made Kyungsoo laugh, just like now.  He used to think they were ridiculous and the knight wrote them for his amusement.

Lately, he has come to see them as they truly are, truthful feelings that he wished he could express to the Prince.  Kyungsoo was just too oblivious to realize them at the time.

Kyungsoo had been a fool to not realize Chanyeol’s intentions, but no longer.  He had accepted that they existed but has made no move to return them.  Chanyeol was his best friend and his best knight and the fact that he had to leave him with the awful king was eating away at him.

He thinks of how he explained the knight to Jongin and realizes that his tone may have suggested something much akin to a lover than a friend.

“Good day!”  Baekhyun’s voice comes through the door, freshly clean.  He was dressed as a man but had covered his face with a couple of blankets.  “These individual baths are just delightful.  I would not know how to go into a woman’s bathhouse.”

Baekhyun goes to sit right next to Kyungsoo.  Clingy as always.  The Prince turns to him inform him quickly, “two knights have checked into the inn.  One of them is the writer of all of these notes.”

“I was wondering about that,” Baekhyun says before sighing.  “Let me get dressed and I will speak to them.  Maybe offer them my services.”  He winks at the Prince.

**Scene II**

**Room 21 of the Siren’s Song Tavern**

Hidden in the stairwell, Baekhyun waits to see if the two knights are in the lounge.  He keeps slipping on these notes that seem to be poorly written poems.  There were many of them and one of them actually does make him slip.

_Feelin' all alone without a friend, you know you feel like dying_

Baekhyun cannot help but think this writer sounds desperate.  In truth, it sounds like something Chanyeol would write.

After a while, Baekhyun spots the two knights in the lounge.  The fact that Kyungsoo was in the lounge and could have been spotted by these knights, even though their disguises were fooling everyone up to this point, means they have been too careless.  It was his job to protect the Prince.

There were two knights, one freakishly taller than the other, but they were not dressed in full metal armor.  Their armor was leather and their heads were more exposed.  Baekhyun could spot that ugly shaped head from anywhere.  How could Chanyeol get here so fast and who was he with?  Was he with a knight who is working for his father?  

The two separate and the other one, a very nice looking knight, to their room on the ground floor.  He needed to figure out this other knight and then deal with Chanyeol.  The last thing he was going to do after getting this far was for Chanyeol to swoop in the last minute and take Kyungsoo from him.

The space is small, only a desk and a large bed occupy the cozy hotel room.  The knight sits in his very light leather armor on the bed as he takes off his shoes.  At this distance and with no helmet on, Baekhyun can see how attractive this knight is.  With brown curly hair and muscled body in addition to that killer smile from before, Baekhyun did not have to feign attraction.

“Identify yourself.”  Baekhyun knows that voice.  It is the same one as the knight that guarded Kyungsoo’s door.  The thought puts him on edge and has him second guessing the believability of his costume.

“Put down your guard,” Baekhyun says as he smiles sweetly.  He sits down on the bed next to the knight, gently.  He lies, “it is just a gift from the owner.”

“A gift?”  The man tilts his head at the question then sneers.  “Yixing knows better than this.  Are you new?  Must be.”

“I am Iphis.”  Quietly, Baekhyun tries to take the knight’s arm into his hold and rub his fingers in circles.  For a moment he almost forgets himself as he feels the muscles underneath.  “I suppose you are not new?”

“I am Kim Jongdae, the Knight Commander of this castle.”  Quickly, Baekhyun tries to recover from his surprise.  This is one of Minseok’s men.  This is a good sign!  Then why was he guarding Kyungsoo’s door if not working with his father?

Instead of revealing too much, Baekhyun smiles.  “And yet you stay at this inn instead of the grand castle?”

“Only for a night, I am friends with Yixing and I do not get to take too much time off of work.  He knows that I do not need this type of gift or his if he asks.”  As Jongdae says this he takes Baekhyun’s hands and pushes them away almost in disgust.

“You say this but Yixing thought you would like some company.”  Baekhyun makes sure to lean into the knight.  He needs to know more about this Jongdae and his true intentions with his search for Kyungsoo.

The knight is having none of it and tries to push the unexpectedly powerful woman away.  Why do people feel the need to throw themselves at him?  Is he not capable of effectively telling a person if he wants them or not?  “Not what you offer.”

“I offer an ear.”

“You did not before.”

“I have never had any other intentions,” Baekhyun says innocently.  It is the truth.  If the knight sees under the dress he might be in for a bit of a surprise.

Jongdae wants to laugh at the absurdity of the small person in front of him.  “You will not let me have peace, will you?”

“You seem troubled and in my line of work that cannot be once they see my face.” Baekhyun smiles.  If anything, the knight can say that the woman has quite the cute face.

“Well now I certainly am troubled.” The knight sighs as he lays across his given bed.  “My cousin is on a fruitless chase, my kingdom has been seized by a horrible King and my lord has employed me to help him and in cas has employed me to chase my cousin’s sorrow.”

“The Kingdom has been seized by a gluttonous general who has sent panic rippling through these lands.  My lord has employed me to help by sending me to my cousin who works for this man.  I travel there only to find that my cousin’s love is the key to restoring peace and now I feel I am on this fruitless chase after my cousin’s sorrow.”

This must be the worst luck that Baekhyun has had in a while.  Kyungsoo will be safe with this man but he travels with Chanyeol.  There is no possibility in Baekhyun’s mind that can happen if Chanyeol is to get any glory out of this rescue mission.  Baekhyun said he would rescue Kyungsoo and he is going to get the recognition for it.  He needs a plan!  “His love was not at the King’s castle?”

“Yes they have escaped this false king’s clutches,” Jongdae says.  He sounds exhausted and his eyes are closes.  Baekhyun goes to lie next to him, carelessly drawing figures on his chest.  “I know that they head for the castle.”

“The castle is safe?”

The knight smiles confidently.  Baekhyun would say he wore it very well.  “Of course, I have Sehun there to greet them.”  Internally, Baekhyun smiles as his plan forms.  All he needs to do is get Kyungsoo to the castle, find this Sehun person, and then all they have to do is wait for Minseok to come back.

“So all you have to do is wait for your cousin’s love?”  Baekhyun asks.  “As long as you are sure they are safe you have done all that you can.”

The knight sighs.  “I would take comfort in this as I believe him to not be in harm’s way but he has been accompanied by another suitor.  This has my cousin in a state of utter destruction.  The best friend, a promiscuous halfwit.”

“ _Promiscuous halfwit_!”  Baekhyun snarls and then immediately looks up to see an unaffected Jongdae still lying in his same spot, but eyes trained on him.  Looking down, Baekhyun realizes that he may be squeezing the knight’s arm just a bit too hard.  He lets go and laughs a little high to try and cover up the slip up.

“My cousin’s words,” Jongdae explains, waving a hand.  A fond smile forms on his lips.  “I found him to be quick in language but still promiscuous.”

“Sounds fun.”

“Fun?  You would think so.”  This is the moment that Baekhyun realizes that Kyungsoo might have been right about this character he is playing being too similar to his actual personality.  He feels too caught up, to comfortable lying on the knight’s chest.

“Maybe he just wants to get to know you.”

This makes Jongdae laugh so hard that he actually sits up, bringing Baekhyun along with him.  “Through my pants?”

“Compatibility is important,” Baekhyun smiles as he tries to keep him position against the warm chest he keeps embracing.

“Of course, I-” The broken note of a man wails through the room, causing Jongdae to put his hands over his ears.  A quick look to Baekhyun shows that he is feeling the same way. “What is _that_?”

The woman in front of him snuggles into Jongdae’s chest to try and block her ears.  For some reason the noise continues and sounds familiar.  “Make it stop!”

“Oh no…”  It is a _song_ and the knight cannot believe his ears.  His cousin is singing and playing the guitar.  He was always a great musician except for his singing.  The fact that his singing was awful never really stopped him.  “Unfortunately, I believe that it is my cousin.”

“You have sway?  Make it stop this instant!”  The two of them get up quickly to rush downstairs.

“I can try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note one is from one English translation of Wolf and are actually Kyungsoo’s lines. Notes two through four are from I Want It That Way from the Backstreet Boys (I couldn’t resist). Notes five and six are from Hero by Enrique Iglesias and the note that Baekhyun finds is from I want You to Want Me by Cheap Tricks.


	4. Act IV

**SCENE I**

**The Lounge of the Siren’s Song Tavern**

Chanyeol sits on a chair which is on a table in the middle of the lounge with a lot of drunkards gathering around.  They sing together even through Chanyeol’s unpleasant voice.  The knight looks smashed.

Kyungsoo cannot believe his eyes.  One of his best friends is here and he could not be happier to see him.  How did he escape?

_Did_ he escape?

What if he is looking for Kyungsoo?  What if he is under orders to bring the Prince back?  Fear runs through Kyungsoo as he watches as the man sings, slurring his words.

Baekhyun and what looks like another knight come down the stairs.  He looks around and realizes that there are multiple patrons who were not enamored by the knight’s singing and looked enraged.  He guessed he could do his part and see what Chanyeol was doing here.

He makes his way to Chanyeol, the drunkards thinking he is pretty enough to get through, and tugs on his guitar.  The man stops singing and looks to him.  “You are creating too much noise!”

“It matters not,” the knight says dejectedly.  “My love has left me.  I cannot help but sing!”

Kyungsoo stares with wide eyes at Chanyeol.  Who is this love of his?  Was that what he was singing about. “You have sung too much of your woes here.  Come with me, let me lend you an ear.”

Luckily, Chanyeol is too drunk to resist as Kyungsoo, as strong as he is, pulls him towards a quiet corner of the room near the back overlooking the ocean.  He bypasses Baekhyun whom he silently nods to.  There is a sort of panic in his eyes that Kyungsoo is not used to.  He hopes Baekhyun gets the message to not bother him, but it is clingy Byun Baekhyun and he might do it anyways.  Chanyeol sits, face leaning into the window looking pathetic.

Anxiety over the silence has Kyungsoo asking, “Do you have a problem of the heart?”

“My love has escaped my hold,” Chanyeol says drunkenly.  He then hiccups and Kyungsoo has spent several nights with Chanyeol and a bottle share and he knows what this means.  Kyungsoo always despised the rambling.  “I have loved him for years, since childhood.  A tiny little man who can be the scariest man one has ever encountered.  Confident, dedicated, hardworking, full of honor, and he puts up with me.  I am lucky to be in his presence.”

The Prince is speechless as he absorbs this new information.  He had an inkling of what Chanyeol felt for him, but for it to be out in the open was something else entirely.  The sincerity in this voice did something to Kyungsoo.

He thought back to his musings for before and realized he did return Chanyeol’s feelings.  He must be on Kyungsoo’s side if he feels like this.  With thoughts of deception out of his mind, he decides to have a bit of fun with this.  A little manipulation and a small nudge and he will have Chanyeol confessing to him soon.  “Have you told this love of yours of your affections?”

The knight sighs and leans back in his chair as his head rolls to look at the woman in front of him.  “I tell him at every opportunity.”

“No you do not.”

Chanyeol scrunches his eyebrows together, always such an expressive person.  “What?”

“I mean,” Kyungsoo tries to recover, putting in a few fake coughs for realism.  “How?”

“I am the one who volunteers to spar with him and to protect him.  We make music together and I write lyrics for him, like these notes.”  Chanyeol gestures to all of the notes around the inn.  In that moment, Kyungsoo feels a bit of warmth in his chest.  It was quickly consumed by embarrassment from the poor quality of the contents.  “He laughs at me.”

Kyungsoo leans towards the knight, just like he always does when they used to stay up late and talk.  “He must think you are not serious with your feelings.”

“Are you accusing me of playing with his heart?”  Chanyeol asks disbelieving.

“No, just a matter of miscommunication,” the Prince says quickly to amend the situation.  “You should be more confident with your feelings.”

“I believe you are right.  I must confess,” the man says before falling back in his chair as if all hope has been lost.  He throws an arm over his eyes in exhaustion.  “If I find him,” he mutters.

“You will,” Kyungsoo says as he goes to reveal himself.  There is no further use of waiting when he would be in safe hands with Chanyeol.

“I must find him,” Chanyeol rambles.  “For my King has asked me to do so as well.”

The Prince freezes.  After this confession, Chanyeol still hopes to turn him in.  He feels betrayed.  If the knight’s heart belonged to him, then there was no reason to follow this new king.  Rising quickly, a wave of emotion breaking over him, he turns quickly to try and not make it look suspicious.  He cannot even look at his friend right now.  “I wish you well in your endeavors.”

 

 

**Scene II**

**Room 124 of the Siren’s Song Tavern**

Kyungsoo reaches the room with little obstacle.  He just wants to be alone right now.  He sits on the bed and is very glad that Baekhyun was nowhere to be found.  The man was always a bit weary of Chanyeol, even though he always thought the two of them could have been a good match.

Tears threaten to fall, but he forces himself to not cry.  He was the Prince; he had been taught not to show emotion.  Such a thing was ridiculous to cry over.  Yet, he felt miserable.

A knock on the door interrupts his sulking.  A familiar face opened the door and Kyungsoo frowned.  Of all times, why could he not even have one minute to himself to grieve!

Baekhyun walked in without a care and shut the door before looking at Kyungsoo and face automatically dropping at the sight of his best friend’s face.  It was one he was familiar with, Kyungsoo holding back emotion, usually sadness.  He stopped himself from immediately going to Kyungsoo side and slowly approached him for comfort.

Before Baekhyun could speak, the Prince was already laughing bitterly.  It was jarring enough for Baekhyun to stop his motions right before putting a hand on his shoulder.  “ _Of course_ you are here.  Why would you not?”

“I am confused,” Baekhyun responds cautiously.  Why was Kyungsoo acting this way?  He must be very upset.  Chanyeol must have said something atrocious.  Lightly taking the Prince’s hand in his in order to soothe him, Kyungsoo quickly turns and forces him from the other’s grasp.

Even though Baekhyun looks hurt, Kyungsoo is sure he feels more in distressed at the moment.  Yet, Baekhyun was still his best friend and should be treated with some contempt.  He tries to turn away, to shield his face.  “I wish to be alone.”

“I will not as long as you seemed so bothered,” Baekhyun says as he lightly puts his hand on Kyungsoo’s arm.  He is worried for his best friend.   He hated nothing more than to see him like this.  “Did that brute say something?  Did Chanyeol-”

“Leave me!”  Kyungsoo almost yells as he tears himself from Baekhyun’s grasp and gathers himself to walk to the door.  Anywhere was better than here at the moment.

Baekhyun jumps up.  “At least let me tell you of Sehun!”

Why could clingy Baekhyun not leave him alone!  “Do not follow me!  Everywhere I go, whomever I talk to, you are _always_ there.  My nerves cannot handle it much longer!  _I do not need you_!”

 

**Scene III**

**The Bar of the Siren’s Song Tavern**

In such a rush to leave, Kyungsoo did not realize that Chanyeol may still be downstairs.  Luck seems to be on his side for this moment as he does not see the tall knight anywhere.  The other knight seems to not be around either.  Taking advantage of the situation, he walks to the bar in hopes of having a very strong drink to get him through.

A tall boy stands next to Yixing’s bar with a solemn face.  Noting the crest of a knight in training on his breast, he approaches the man a bit guarded.  Being so close to the castle, he must be one of Minseok’s, but he may have some dissenters considering the recent change in regime.

He focuses on getting a drink to forget that the knight he is in love with wants to help the man who wants to execute him and the fact that he just yelled at his best friend for being concerned about him.  Yixing seems to understand by the look of his face and greets him with a two drinks.  How thoughtful.

“You look a bit down, love,” Yixing says as he pushes the drink towards the Prince.  “You were chatting with that knight.  Matters of the heart are always so fickle.  Cheer up, you are too kind to not have your pick.”

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo says, flattered.  The first drink is a clear liquid that is the worst thing he has ever tasted and it burns as it goes down his throat.  It is perfect.  He still frowns.  “You are too king and also a bad judge of character.”

The bartended laughs as he pats the boy quite roughly.  “Sehun tells me as well.”

“That is because I am right,” the boy says confidently as he takes a small sip of ale.  Yixing laughs it off as he goes to tend to another customer, one of the men who was encouraging Chanyeol earlier.  The boy turns to him and Kyungsoo feels as if he is being evaluated.  “Jongin talked of you quite well.”

Surprised, the Prince looks at the knight in training.  Baekhyun had said something about someone called Sehun and Jongin’s fiancé worked at the castle.  This must be him.  He wondered if Baekhyun was going to warn him away from this boy.  Kyungsoo must take caution.  “You must be the handsome fiancé.”

The boy did not seem to change his expression from bored even when drinking his ale.  “He talks of you fondly.”

“He was having a simple problem that I was able to help with.”

“I could have done that,” Sehun says quickly, not looking at the Prince.  Kyungsoo understands immediately, the boy here was being protective.  Sounds like someone who would want to be a knight.

“He would not of talked to you about it,” Kyungsoo says, finishing up his first drink.  His second drink is a dark ale and it seems to have a goal of wanting to knock it’s host out. The Prince drank eagerly.

The boy sneers.  “You are implying that I am the problem.”

Stubborn, too.  The boy was no knight, just a child.  He reminded Kyungsoo of Chanyeol when he was in training when he first came to the castle.  A reckless boy.  “You do not have a benevolent attitude.  A smile would benefit you.”

“From the unbecoming woman who scowls,” Sehun laughs at him.  The Prince may be a hypocrite, but at least he is not trying to woo his current fiancé.  No, his love is a fool.  “Knights do not smile.”

This makes Kyungsoo laugh.  “Do not try to raise your station _knight in training_ ,” he slurs the last bit, feeling a bit of the alcohol.  “A knight I know smiles every single moment of his life.  Scares the locals.”

Sehun scrunches his eyebrows.  “Locals?”

Eyes wide, Kyungsoo quickly reaches for his drink.  How foolish was he?  Almost giving away hints of his true self.  When he puts down his drink he tries to remedy the situation.  “I work in a castle.  We seem to have grown used to him.”

Nodding, Sehun takes this answer and continues to drink. The Prince realizes that the boy might be a bit more drunk than he is leading on.  “If he was my head knight I would be disturbed.”

The conversation lulls as the two men drink.  Something in him was telling him that Sehun was not all that bad, just not grown up enough.  He feels pity for the boy, so he decided to help him.  “Jongin would be enamored by your smile.”

This seems to pique Sehun’s interest as he turns back to Kyungsoo from his ale.  As soon as he does, the Prince smiles at him as a show of kindness, and secretly a sign he was under the influence.  The knight seems to stare at him with wide eyes, mouth slightly parted.  The boy was beautiful this way, but quickly regained composure.  His cheeks were tinted a bit red.  “Thank you,” he says through his embarrassment and putting down his ale.  “I must take my leave to resume my post.”

He waves to Yixing and is about to leave the bar when he looks to Kyungsoo one more time.  “Do not let Jongin take your heart.”

The Prince is surprised by the words but the dancer had said he was overprotective.  The Prince just smiles.  “Rest easy, there is no fear.”

 

**Scene IV**

**Room 124 of the Siren’s Song Tavern**

Kyungsoo returns to the room after sobering up a bit from his conversation with Sehun.  Apprehension takes over as he steps into the room and heightens when he spots Baekhyun sitting on the bed.  The man’s eyes open wide as he stands to approach Kyungsoo as the Prince closes the door.

Baekhyun looks like he wants to speak so Kyungsoo makes sure to speak first.  “I apologize for my behavior earlier.  You always take care of me, I should not have said untrue words,” Kyungsoo apologizes.  There is a bit of red puffiness around his best friend’s eyes and he hopes he was not the one to cause it.

“It was my fault for not respecting your wishes, my Prince,” Baekhyun says.  The Prince puts his hands up.

“My anger was towards Chanyeol not you,” he says as he takes the other’s hand so that they can sit on the bed.  He feels exhausted from the day and slumps.  “I believe Chanyeol has aligned himself with your father.”

Baekhyun sucks in his breath.  “That fool!”  He could not believe Chanyeol would turn on Kyungsoo but he did believe he would turn on Baekhyun not matter what the history regarding their friendship entailed.  Looking at Kyungsoo’s face, he realizes the state that the knight has put his best friend in and attempts to relieve it.  “Chanyeol trusts you.”

Kyungsoo laughs a bit at Baekhyun’s curse.  A thought goes across his mind whether Baekhyun might be able to get through to Chanyeol.  The two have always been good friends and have many common interests.  He quickly puts the thought out of his mind.  Something about Chanyeol and Baekhyun together puts a weight on his heart.  Instead, he focuses his direction on a more important matter.  “Before I left, you spoke of Sehun.  He is a knight in training who was just downstairs.”

“Is he still here?”  Baekhyun asks quickly.

“Unfortunately, no,” the Prince answers.  “He goes to take his post at the castle.”

Baekhyun sighs as he starts to explain, “Sir Jongdae travels with Chanyeol-”

“Sir Jongdae!”  Kyungsoo exclaims. “Minseok’s best knight!  I have spoken to him many times.  You have too!”

“Have I?”  Baekhyun questions.  He figures that he would have remembered someone so important and more importantly beautiful.   He shakes his head, he does not have time for this.  “He has helped us escape and has instructed Sehun to let us in the gate.”

The Prince, joy spreading throughout his face from the first good news in days, grabs Baekhyun’s hand.  He can finally get out of this ridiculous costume!  “Let us leave!”

Baekhyun does not move and carefully pulls his hand back from his best friend.  The other looks at him questionably before realizing his mistake.  As much as the Prince claims he does not like Baekhyun’s clingy nature, he has grown used to it and could not imagine the other being any other way.  More forcibly this time, he weaves his fingers with the other’s hand and smiles just a bit.

This seems to pull Baekhyun out of his stupor as he smiles and they leave to go to safety.


	5. Act V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter came out a lot later than I would have liked. Forgive me.

**SCENE I**

**The Gate to Lord Minseok’s Castle**

The heat is making Kyungsoo’s costume constrict and he feels himself choking to death as he and Baekhyun approach the castle gates.  A look at his companion confirm that he is feeling the heat a bit too.  As soon as they get to the gate, Kyungsoo sees Jongin leaning against the entrance.  He is in those pants that puff out and ride low on his hips.  His shirt is loose and billows out but does not reach his navel.

“Hyacinth!”  He exclaims when he sees the pair of travelling women.  Baekhyun immediately turn to Kyungsoo with a smirk.

“How do you know this gentleman?”  Baekhyun asks in a hushed voice.  At this point in their relationship, Kyungsoo knows that smirk. The Prince knows the dancer is handsome, but also gentle enough that he does not need to have someone like Baekhyun show interest in him.  So, he plays coy and tells Baekhyun the basics.

“Jongin is a tavern dancer and Sehun’s fiancé,” Kyungsoo explains as the dancer jogs up to them.  Once he is right in front of them, Kyungsoo waves a small greeting and motions to Baekhyun to introduce him.  “This is my good friend Iphis.”

The dancer smiles brightly, as a greeting, to Baekhyun.  “Your friend was able to help me with a trouble of the heart.  It is something I am most grateful for.”

“Hyacinth is a very kind woman,” Baekhyun says seriously enough that Jongin buys it and sarcastically enough that Kyungsoo does as well.

“I know,” the dancer says.  “I was just about to search for her.  There is something I would like to discuss.”

“Here is fine,” Kyungsoo says.  Truthfully, he would like to be going to find Sehun and not mess around with this distraction.  Hopefully, it would be over soon.  He looks to the gates almost longingly.  “Iphis is dear to me and whatever you say would just be shared with her anyways at a later time.”

The dancer nods as he walks towards Kyungsoo, a mysterious emotion in his eyes.  Uncomfortable, Kyungsoo looks to the gate and finds one of the guards coming towards them.  He stiffens, yet Jongin seems to not notice.  Taking advantage of the Prince’s mindlessness, Jongin lightly takes the woman’s hands and pulls her close.  It is such a shock to Kyungsoo that he does not fight it as the dancer looks into his eyes.  “You are full of with and I have never seen someone with such confidence with such a romantic heart.”

“What are you saying?”  Baekhyun asks, as Kyungsoo is too confused having to split his attention between Jongin’s eyes and the knight rapidly approaching the group.  He turns to Baekhyun in hopes that his best friend would give more clarity to the situation, but finds him looking directly at the knight.  Jongin’s grip on his arm tightens a bit and Kyungsoo is forced to pay attention to him.

“I am afraid I have been charmed,” Jongin says before being pulled back by the fully armored knight.  The Prince stumbles a bit, only to be steadied by Baekhyun.  His mind races as he realizes that the dancer has just confessed his feelings towards him.

Jongin fights back at the surprised knight but is easily overpowered and is pulled into a protective hug.  The struggles lessen as he turns his head to the knight.  “Sehun, let me go!”

Baekhyun’s eyes widen at the name as the knight takes off his helmet while keeping Jongin in place.  The dancer is not hurt which was why, Kyungsoo guessed, Sehun placed him in such an unknightly hold.   There is anger in the youngest one’s eyes as he turns to his fiancé.  Sehun’s words are spoken steady and low.  “Does your heart lie with this woman?”

The dancer tears himself away from his fiancé while Kyungsoo and Baekhyun look upon the lover’s quarrel.  “I have been taken by her.”

“Taken!”  Sehun exclaims as he turns to Kyungsoo whose eyes are comical wide.  As Baekhyun turns to look at him with questioning eyes, Kyungsoo puts his hands up in surrender.  His throat feels dry as he quickly tries to amend the situation.  Luckily, Jongin does it for him.

“By her words and beauty,” Jongin explains.  The knight is soothed, but not much, at these words.  “She is a romantic, just like I, which you are not.”

_A romantic_ , Baekhyun mouths at Kyungsoo in confusion.  The man may give good advice with matters of the heart, but not in action.  This was something Baekhyun was grateful for.  If the Prince had been a hidden romantic under everything else, he would have just fallen harder.  Kyungsoo looks lost.  There is pain in Sehun’s eyes as Jongin goes and takes Kyungsoo’s arm without permission, which Kyungsoo tries to break out of. 

“I,” Sehun begins, but something catches in his throat and he stops.  Jongin’s grip on the Prince’s arm tightens but he keeps his head held high.

“It was no work to be charmed by Hyacinth,” Jongin says, “for her words drown you in affection.”

“I understand,” the knight responds, looking at the ground, dejected.  The dancer reels back.

“How do you understand?”  The man asks.  It looks like he was willing to put up a fight and Sehun put up only a front.

Sehun looks into Kyungsoo’s eyes.  “He charmed me as well.”

The Prince looks between the two men is absolute shock.  He had felt nothing towards these two men during their conversations, except for physical attraction but Kyungsoo did not put much emphasis on that.  How could both of them felt such feeling towards him.  The dancer had let go of Kyungsoo as he was in awe of his fiancé’s statement. 

Jongin’s grip was replaced by Baekhyun’s who was shaking him.  The Prince turned his attention to him, but his best friend was not looking at him.  He was looking between the two men in front of them and the gate in both pain and panic.  Kyungsoo tries to recover and tries to forget the shaking.

“You misunderstand my feelings and your own,” Kyungsoo tries to explain.  He is in disbelief of these two men’s feelings and deflects the conversation.  The shaking gets more obtrusive.

“ _Kyungsoo_ ,” Baekhyun hisses as Kyungsoo looks up at the gate but Kyungsoo bats his hands away.  He looks at the dejected young men.

“There has been no time for us to be familiar with each other and yet you declare to be in love.  How reckless you are!  Too blinded to see the real truth, the truth that you have given each other your hearts and therefore have none to give to me!  You do not know me or my heart.  All you feel is infatuation,” Kyungsoo says. 

Jongin and Sehun stare at him as he is sure that they cannot look at the other right now.  Kyungsoo yanks his arm away from his panicked best friend.  The feelings he had during his time at the inn resurface.  He does not break eye contact as he speaks lowly.  “My heart belongs to someone else, one I have spent years with, just as the two have spent with each other.  I cannot accept either of you.”

There is a stillness in the air and he turns from the young men, not able to take their expressions for much longer.  He turns to look at Baekhyun who is looking at him with a mix of panic and what looks like agony, for which Kyungsoo cannot figure out why.  It is something he cannot look at for long as he turns to look at the gate.

Minseok on a horse and two knights stand only about two feet away from Sehun who is looking very confused at Kyungsoo and Baekhyun as he descends from his horse.  All of a sudden, Baekhyun’s expression makes sense and Kyungsoo clamps up in embarrassment.  Sehun and Jongin turn to see why there is such a fuss and fear runs through their bodies.

Sehun immediately bows.  “My Lord!”

“Sehun, is this an appropriate place for this discussion?”  Minseok asks in a tone that makes Baekhyun take a step back.

“No, My Lord!”

“Then let us proceed to the courtyard,” Minseok says as he turns to walk with the two knights and everyone else following behind him.  They walk in silence until they reach relative privacy within the castle walls.  Minseok immediately turns to Kyungsoo in Baekhyun.  “Baekhyun, you disappoint me.  These disguises are ridiculous and I know they could not have been Kyungsoo’s idea!”

Kyungsoo immediately goes to take off his wig, tired of this retched costume.  The awe of the two men goes completely unnoticed by the relief Kyungsoo feels in not only taking off the wig but of also finding Minseok.  He barely registers Sehun taking Jongin’s hand in his state of confusion.  Out of the corner of his eye he can see Baekhyun taking off his wig as well.  What he does not miss is one of the knights stumbling towards Minseok.

“ _Kyungsoo_!”  The knight almost yells as he pulls his helmet off.  The Prince does not need the visual reveal of the knight’s face to know that it was Chanyeol.  He almost takes a step back to clutch onto Baekhyun in astonishment.  How much had Chanyeol heard of his small speech?

The other knight takes his helmet off as well as he grabs Chanyeol’s arm to prevent him from barreling into the Prince.  Baekhyun’s mouth hangs open at the sight of Jongdae.  “Chanyeol, stop!”

“I cannot,” Chanyeol says immediately, trying to get his cousin’s hand off of his arm without hurting him too hard.  “Not after what has just happened.”

“The only thing that has happened is my apprentice has foolishly fallen in love with the man I told him to protect,” Jongdae says as he turns to Sehun while restraining Chanyeol.  “Apologize to the Prince.”

“Yes, Sir!”  Sehun exclaims immediately as he bows towards Kyungsoo.  He was in such a state of shock that he could not react appropriately to the situation at hand.  “I apologize for loving you, my Prince.”

Before Chanyeol loses out to his emotions, Minseok puts a stop to his foolishness.  “Jongdae, take Chanyeol away so that he may be able to productively contribute to this conversation.”

Jongdae immediately agrees as Chanyeol protests.  They walk to the other side of the courtyards while Minseok takes Baekhyun’s hand to do the same to give Kyungsoo some privacy with Sehun and Jongin.  The two younger men take in Kyungsoo’s new form, both bowing and apologizing.

“There is no need for this,” Kyungsoo says as he motions for them to rise.  “I am tired and the two of you are fools.”

“We are,” the dancer says as he finds the courage to look at Sehun.  “Your words hold truths that Sehun and I cannot see.”

Sehun grasps Jongin’s hand.  “That does not mean we cannot try.”

“Thank you, my Prince.”  Jongin says as he bows.  The two walk towards the gate as Kyungsoo sighs.  He hopes the best for the two of them.  Apprehension runs through his body as he realizes that he needs to confront Chanyeol.  Minseok and Jongdae need to hear the truth.

Chanyeol tries to say something before Kyungsoo cuts him off.  “Minseok, Chanyeol must be restrained.”

Eyebrows raised, Minseok looks to Kyungsoo while also silently motioning to Jongdae to apprehend his cousin.  Confusion spreads throughout the group’s faces.  “You must have reason.”

“Chanyeol revealed to my disguised persona that he was to look for me by his ‘King’,” Kyungsoo says.  Chanyeol’s eyes turn into saucers.

Minseok immediately turns to the knight, expression demanding an explanation.  “No kindness will be shown to traitors on my land.”

“You misunderstand,” Chanyeol says immediately.  The accusation angers him as he tries to voice his concerns.  His words fail him as he sputters which leads to him getting frustrated.

“I suggest your words to come posthaste,” Baekhyun says a tad mockingly.  The knight’s expression darkens as he takes a breath.

“My loyalty is with your father, _my King_ , not the devious usurper!”  He spits out.  He turns to Kyungsoo in disbelief, open and raw.  “I swore an oath to my King telling him I would serve and protect you.  To think you would ever consider that I would betray you is something I cannot bear.”

Chanyeol’s head hangs low as Minseok stops staring accusations at him.  Baekhyun’s face morphs into something unreadable.  Jongdae releases his hold on his cousin, Chanyeol stepping away looking utterly alone in his thoughts.  Relief spreads through Kyungsoo’s body before the surge of happiness hits him.  All of those thoughts at the inn that plagued his mind are no more.  Chanyeol had come to help him just as he originally thought.  The joy makes him speechless but he is still able to slowly walk towards Chanyeol.

“When you told me of your loyalties I was in such a state that I had to leave,” Kyungsoo says softly.  “My thoughts denied your words, blaming the alcohol.  My father’s death and my uncertainty in life has put doubts into my mind and your words only strengthen them. I was terrified.  I _am_ terrified.  Forgive me.”

Chanyeol looks up from the ground until he meets Kyungsoo’s face.  He reaches forward to take Kyungsoo’s hands.  “I have unknowingly revealed my affections for you at the tavern.  Even if they returned unrequited, I hope to always remain at your side.”

Kyungsoo has never been one to smile, but one threatens to spread over his face as he reaches up to guide Chanyeol’s face down towards his.  His lips gently slide over Chanyeol’s as he basks in the moment.

 

**SCENE II**

**The Outer Courtyard of Lord Minseok’s Castle**

Baekhyun stares at Kyungsoo and Chanyeol as they kiss and tries to keep a straight face.  After all of his work, he has still lost Kyungsoo to that nitwit of a knight.  He thinks he is doing quite well until being startled by a hand on his shoulder from Minseok.  It’s comforting, as the man seems to know how he has felt for years, having a highly developed sense of intuition.  He nods at Minseok before turning away and walking behind him to give the new lovers some space.

Another hand on his shoulder reveals Jongdae walking with him as they walk across the courtyard towards the interior of the castle.  “So, knight chaser or promiscuous halfwit?”

“I beg your pardon,” Baekhyun asks, shaken out of his haze.

“Promiscuous halfwit feels a bit more you,” Jongdae keeps going, voice light.  “My Lord said you two might be disguised so I thought I would have troubles locating you.  He did not say that all I had to do was look for the two men with horrific wigs.”

“You knew it was us?”  Baekhyun questioned.  He stopped and turned immediately so that he was facing Jongdae.  There was no way that Jongdae could ever know such a thing.  Baekhyun had never been so careful in his life.

“Of course,” the knight says almost offended.  “What knight would reveal their identity and plan to a whore at Yixing’s tavern?”

The revelation sunk into Baekhyun as he put his head down and hands up to his face.  Everything he had done was to keep Kyungsoo’s safe and to think he could have put him in danger because he put too much faith into himself and these horrendous disguises.  Is this why Kyungsoo overlooked him?  Because he was too reckless and dimwitted to protect the one he loved when their life was on the line?

Sensing Baekhyun’s despair, Jongdae grabs Baekhyun’s shoulder.  “I was not trying to irritate you.  I thought we were having fun.”

“I am not having much fun,” Baekhyun confesses.  He feels like he is about to cry when he feels himself being embraced by Jongdae.  The armor is cold, but it lifts his spirits in a very small way but Baekhyun still appreciates the gesture.  He tucks his face into the knight’s neck, the soft flesh warming him up.

Jongdae releases him and steps back.  “My Lord would like the meeting on the state of the realm to start at sundown.  We have much time until then.  I was thinking of drinking some wine and rambling of my sorrows.  Would you accompany me?”

Jongdae reaches his hand out for Baekhyun to take, smiling.  Baekhyun immediately takes the hand.  Some wine would do him some good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hope you liked this very loose interpretation. In the play, the characters fall in love instantly and their hearts change at the drop of a hat and I wanted to portray EXO as that, but with a bit more depth. I hoped I achieved my goal.  
> Here is the cast and their counterparts in As You Like It:  
> Kyungsoo as Rosalind  
> Baekhyun as Celia  
> Chanyeol as Orlando  
> Jongdae as Oliver  
> Jongin as Phoebe  
> Sehun as Silvius  
> Yixing as Jaques (Kinda?)


End file.
